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Jason - No. Still own the Suburban. In fact, had the gas line repaired and left the Suburban with the family. I took the Highlander to the new job in Virginia. It will be after the first of the year that we look again for a new tow vehicle. Priority now is to find a home here in Virginia and get the family moved. Sure would like a Ram truck. - Deerfield

$1k doesn't sound like too aweful much, esp. with the price they were offering on that truck. $37k is a great deal. I traded my Sub in when I got my van, and they did me OK. It never hurts to ask... I'd go back and see if they'll split the difference...

Jason - No. Still own the Suburban. In fact, had the gas line repaired and left the Suburban with the family. I took the Highlander to the new job in Virginia. It will be after the first of the year that we look again for a new tow vehicle. Priority now is to find a home here in Virginia and get the family moved. Sure would like a Ram truck. - Deerfield

Hey Deerfield, i hadn't followed this thread but it sounds like you're moving to VA from another state. Wanted to pick your brain a little on some things if you wouldn't mind. My wife and I are looking to relocate to SC right across the border from Charlotte and I've never moved to another state with a family, so just curious on how you prioritized what you needed to do and how you're conducting your house hunting. Online first, then having a realtor show you around?

We thought about renting for like a 6 mo lease so it would get us down there and then we could look at many places.

While I'm not Deerfield, I do have a lot of experience in moving (11 times in the last 13 yrs). My moving was all part of the military dictating where I was going. So, some of my moves I knew were short term (2 yrs), which meant I was going to rent. I did move into apartments for a short while and then move into a house within a few months. I would not recommend that unless you have no choice.

First, you know where you are going. Cruise the internet for homes, check schools for where you need to be location wise, and check the crime reports for "bad areas". It is helpful if you know people who have lived there to give you pointers on good/bad areas and schools.

If you are planning on buying, you need to start as early as possible. Work with a realtor soon. Hopefully you can be very specific about your housing needs. Plan on house hunting and set that up early with the real estate agent. I found that I needed to be rudely specific with agents. Some don't plan routes for looking at homes (which wastes your time which is probably not a lot), they show homes that don't meet your requirements, or are out of your budget restaints. You don't have time for someone who doesn't work for you and your requirement. You will also need to get pre-approved for a loan prior to going there and be prepared to submit an offer with earnest money. Have a back-up house in mind if a deal doesn't work. Also check the rental market in case you can't make a deal House hunting is a highly stressful week of your life.

If you want to rent, then a lot of that can be done on the internet. Because most place won't "hold" a place, you will need to rent about a month before the move. Shopping early won't help unless you will rent without being there for a month or two. (I had to do that in San Diego) Be prepared for 1st month plus a security deposit (some places are first and last months rent plus deposit).

IMO, it is best to find a place and not plan to move again. Moving is expensive and stuff gets damaged or broken. The hassle of moving twice is taxing on you and your family. If you can, try to take the whole family in one car. My wife and I drove seperately across the country , it sucked. To do it again, I think I would sell one car and buy when I got to the destination.

Sadly, I am at the 18 month point in my home and my (and my wife's) internal move clock is ticking. As much as moving sucks, it does add to the spice of life. Good luck with your search and your move.

While I'm not Deerfield either, I'll give you a little feedback... It applies only if you plan on being there for a while ( I HATE moving!!!)

I moved from MI to SC in 2000, with 2 kids at the time. Greenville's a pretty big place, although not as big as Charlotte for sure! But being completely new to the area, we didn't want to spend a wad on a house and then not like the area in a few years (also had to sell ours first anyways). Do some research for apartments on the internet, as close to your work as possible. Keep about 3 or 4 to look at and go check them out prior to moving and get one. I'd recommend a 6 month lease (or month to month). This should be plenty of time to converse with co-workers and drive around, finding the perfect area you want to be in. Like maxpower said...

Originally Posted by maxpower220

First, you know where you are going. Cruise the internet for homes, check schools for where you need to be location wise, and check the crime reports for "bad areas". It is helpful if you know people who have lived there to give you pointers on good/bad areas and schools.

.... Hopefully you can be very specific about your housing needs. Plan on house hunting and set that up early with the real estate agent. I found that I needed to be rudely specific with agents. Some don't plan routes for looking at homes (which wastes your time which is probably not a lot), they show homes that don't meet your requirements, or are out of your budget restaints. You don't have time for someone who doesn't work for you and your requirement. You will also need to get pre-approved for a loan prior to going there and be prepared to submit an offer with earnest money. Have a back-up house in mind if a deal doesn't work. Also check the rental market in case you can't make a deal House hunting is a highly stressful week of your life...

While 2 moves do suck, if you just buy a house you may end up trying to move again the next couple years anyways. At least if you do the 2 moves right away, pretty much everything is still packed up and the 2nd move isnt' too bad this way. We ended up taking a year, since we couldn't find the house we wanted and ended up having one built to our specs where we wanted it. Can't do something like that if you're trying to move straight into a house in the next few months. If I ever move to a location I'm unfamiliar with again, that's what I'll do, even with the 6 more kids than last time...I'll just have to rent 2 apartments or a HUGE house. Lol.